Sealing device



Oct. 13, 1970 TOSHIO =KAlHO SEALING DEVICE Filed Feb. 14, 1969 FIG.

FIG. 4

FIG.

FIG. 5

TOSHIO KAIHO,

INVENTOR.

SAttorneys United States Patent SEALING DEVICE Toshio Kaiho, Tokyo, Japan, assignor to Takara Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, Japan Filed Feb. 14, 1969, Ser. No. 799,269 Claims priority, application Japan, Apr. 8, 1968,

Int. Cl. B65d 55/06 US. Cl. 292317 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A sealing device comprises a wire of desired length bent into U-shape, and a pair of twisting units which consist of two cylindrical members, each having an end plate at one end, and nesting one in another in a manner turnable relative to each other only in one direction, said end plates each being provided with at least two spaced holes.

In the case of sealing a door or the like, firstly, both of the end portions of said U-shaped wire are passed through said holes in the end plates respectively, and then twisted together by turning the cylindrical members relatively to each other, thereby to form the wire into a closed loop which is essential to sealing operation.

This invention relates to novel devices for sealing a door or the like of a freight car, a warehouse, a cash box, a package, etc. for the purpose of preventing it being opened by unauthorized person.

Heretofore, there have been proposed at least two kinds of sealing device, in which it has been a common practice to form a length of wire or the like into a closed loop to seal the door or the like. In one device, such formation of the closed loop is carried out by fixedly connecting one end of the wire with the other by means of a lead block of a disc shape. However, a suitable tool such as pinchers must be prepared to crush the lead block or its holes (through which the ends of the wire are passed before the holes are crushed), with the attendant disadvantage that additional labor and time are required. In another device on the other hand, the formation of the closed loop is carried out by locking one free end of a metal strap in a locking member fixedly attached to the other end of the strap. The device of the type described is however disadvantageous in that, since the strap and the locking member are required to be preliminarily integrally connected together, the length of the strip or the maximum radius of curvature of the strap loop is unchangeable resulting in the device being deficient in its adaptability.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a sealing device, which not only can form a metal wire into any radius of a closed loop, but also has no need of an additional tool for sealing.

With this purpose in view, a sealing device according to the present invention comprises a metal wire of desired length bent into U-shaped, a pair of twisting units consisting of two cylindrical members each having an open end and the other end closed by an end plate which is provided with at least two spaced holes, said two cylindrical members being nested one in another with their closed ends disposed outwardly and in a manner turnable relative to each other only in one direction about the central axis thereof, said parts being so arranged that the legs of U-shape of said metal wire are passed through said holes in both end plates of said cylindrical members, and that the leg portions of said U-shaped metal wire can be twisted :between said end plates of the cylindrical members by turning said cylindrical members relative to each other.

The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing an embodiment of a pair of twisting units of a sealing device according to the invention, partly in section;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the twisting units of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the twisting units as viewed on the line IIIIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a sealing device in which a U-shaped wire and the twisting units of FIG. 1 are assembled into a unit, but the wire is not locked yet; and

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same in which the wire has been already locked, that is, sealing operation has :been completed.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a pair of can-type twisting units indicated generally at 1, which is the subject matter of the present case, is of such construction, wherein outer and inner substantially cylindrical members or short cylinders 2 and 3 nesting one in another in a manner turnable relative to each other about a common central axis 14 thereof are coupled to form a mostly closed chamber for the purpose as will be apparent hereinafter. The outer cylinder or cap 2 is formed with an annular or circumferentially surrounding ridge 4 of a semi-circular section in close vicinity to the open end thereof, and inner cylinder 3 is also formed with an annular ridge 5, similar in shape to the ridge 4, which can be firmly fitted into the ridge 4 so that the inner cylinder 3 partly inserted into the outer cylinder 2 does not slip out of the latter.

As will be best shown in FIG. 3, on a body portion 6 of the outer cylinder surrounding the inner cylinder 3 there are a suitable number of in-turned fingers 7 spatially disposed about the body portion 6- at the predetermined intervals. The fingers 7 are adapted to act as locking means in co-operation with associated longitudinal notches 9 formed, in suitable spaced relationship similar to that of the fingers 7, in a body portion 8 of the inner cylinder 3 which has a diameter less than that of the body portion 6. With this purpose in view, the fingers 7 are circumferentially directed in the same direction and adapted to extend until each extremity of the fingers 7 abut against an opposite longitudinal side of the associated notch '9. In this example, since the fingers are tilted leftward when viewed from the central axis, the outer cylinder 2 is permitted to turn only in the clockwise direction indicated at the arrow a in FIG. 3 relatively to the inner cylinder 3. In other words, the inner cylinder 3 is permitted to turn only in the counterclockwise direction indicated at the arrow b relatively to the outer cylinder 2. Therefore, the locking means comprising the fingers 7 and the notches 9 serves the purpose of preventing relative backward motion of the outer and inner cylinders 2 and 3. It is of course that, if the fingers are all tilted rightward, the outer and inner cylinders 2 and 3 are turnable in the directions contrary to those of the arrows a and b, respectively.

Further, the outer cylinder 2 has a pair of radially spaced holes 12, 12' in its end plate or top 10, and the inner cylinder 3 on the other hand has also a pair of holes 13, 13" radially spaced to correspond to the spacing of the holes 12, 12' in the end plate or bottom 11 thereof. The cylinders 2 and 3 are joined together in a manner allowing the inner faces of said end plates 10 and 13 to face each other to define the above-mentioned chamber. As will be easily understood from a function of the cantype sealing unit 1, which will be hereinbefore mentioned, it is preferable that two lines joining the holes 12, 13 and the holes 12', 13' are parallel to the common central axis 3 14, because leg portions 16 and 16' of a wire 15 of a U-shape or formed into a loop can be easily passed through these holes.

As shown in FIG. 4, the can-type twisting units 1 thusly constructed are efficiently used for sealing a door or the like in co-operation with the metal wire 15 of any flexible material such as steel having a thickness less than a magnitude of the diameter of said holes. In the case of sealing the door or the like with this sealing device, both of leg portions 16 and 16 of the metal wire 15 are passed, respectively, through the holes 12, 13 and 12, 13 to extend out of the chamber of the twisting units to a suitable extent. Then, the outer cylinder 2 of the can-type twisting units is turned several times relatively to the inner cylinder 3, or vice versa, thereby to twist leg portions of the wire 15 within the chamber together as shown in FIG. 5. As a result of twisting operation, the upper portion of the U-shaped wire 15 is formed into a closed loop while the wire 15 being locked in the twisting units and therefore the door or the like can be securely sealed.

As previously mentioned, since the twisting units -1 are of such construction, wherein relative rotation of the outer and inner cylinders 2 and 3 is not reversed because of the presence of the locking means and said cylinders 2 and 3 are adapted not to slip longitudinally by the presence of the above-mentioned engaged ridge 4 and 5, the twisted portions of the metal Wire 15 are never restored to the original state as shown in FIG. 4. It is therefore impossible to pull out the wire 15 from the twisting units 1. In other words, to break the seal without cutting the closed wire loop is impossible.

It will thus be seen that the twisting units 1 of this invention just described are very useful for a sealing device, and the object set forth above, among those made from the preceding description, is efficiently attained. Since the twisting units are greatly simplified in construction, the same can be manufactured with ease and at low cost by working up a suitable metal plate into a desired shape with a press machine. Further, it is said over again that the present invention is very simple in sealing operation, has no need of an additional tool, and exhibit the excellent effect as a sealing device.

While the invention has been illustrated and described with reference to a single preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that various changes in the details of constructions and the arrangement and combination of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the twisting units may be of a beer barrel shape, a spheroidal shape, a drum shape, etc., and the number of holes for threading a wire formed in one end plate may be two or more.

What I claim is:

1. A sealing device comprising in combination a metal Wire of desired length bent into U-shape, a pair of twisting units consisting of two cylindrical members each having an open end and the other end closed by an end plate which is provided with at least two spaced holes, said two cylindrical members being nested one in another with their closed ends disposed outwardly and in a manner turnable relative to each other only in one direction about the central axis thereof, said parts being so arranged that the legs of U-shape of said metal wire are passed through said holes in both end plates of said cylindrical members, and that the leg portions of said U-shaped metal wire can be twisted between said end plates of the cylindrical members by turning said cylindrical members relative to each other.

'2. A sealing device as set forth in claim 1, in which said cylindrical members are nested one in another in a manner immovable relative to each other in aXial direction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 862,149 8/1907 Flatau 2923l7 2,140,320 12/1938 Keidel 292-318 FOREIGN PATENTS 546,355 7/1956 Italy.

RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner E. J. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner 

